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Since the new year my asthma has been just horrible. Struggling to breath, thick phlem, coughing, difficulties laying down, walking, talking, doing every day activities. Everything causes me breathing problems. I take Singular, Symbicort, rescue inhaler and I do breathing treatments. I had to see my Dr. and she gave me a steroid, which usually knocks does the trick. But even after finishing the steroid I had to go back to my Dr. once again because of the same issues. I am now taking a stronger steroid and have been on it for 5 days now and Im still having problems. I can not just lay in bed every single day and do nothing. My lungs need to be exercised just a bit so that they will be come stronger. I also suffer from chronic pain and laying in bed causes my muscle to become weak, so I have to do light toning exercises every day.

As all of you asthma sufferers know, its quite scary when you cant breath and even more scarier when medication cant put a stop to it. I just now did a breathing treatment and Im still having difficulties. Im really starting to get quite depressed by this and frightened that Dr.s wont be able to stop this.

I see a Pulmonagist (sp) next week and with the way things are going, I just cant see how the Dr. can help me.

I just need some ideas, some support, some hope, just something to keep my spirit up.

Thanks for your Reply!

26 Replies |Watch This Discussion | Report This| Share this:Asthma is out of controlSince the new year my asthma has been just horrible. Struggling to breath, thick phlem, coughing, difficulties laying down, walking, talking, doing every day activities. Everything causes me breathing problems. I take Singular, Symbicort, rescue inhaler and I do breathing treatments. I had to see my Dr. and she gave me a steroid, which usually knocks does the trick. But even after finishing the steroid I had to go back to my Dr. once again because of the same issues. I am now taking a stronger steroid and have been on it for 5 days now and Im still having problems. I can not just lay in bed every single day and do nothing. My lungs need to be exercised just a bit so that they will be come stronger. I also suffer from chronic pain and laying in bed causes my muscle to become weak, so I have to do light toning exercises every day.

As all of you asthma sufferers know, its quite scary when you cant breath and even more scarier when medication cant put a stop to it. I just now did a breathing treatment and Im still having difficulties. Im really starting to get quite depressed by this and frightened that Dr.s wont be able to stop this.

I see a Pulmonagist (sp) next week and with the way things are going, I just cant see how the Dr. can help me.

I just need some ideas, some support, some hope, just something to keep my spirit up.

Sorry to hear of your struggles. I can relate to what you are going thru. Do you know your triggers? Do you have allergies and are you taking any meds for them?

NeilMed sinus rinse is awesome stuff. It will help clean your sinus passages and help with drainage. There is a condition called silent acid reflux, have you heard of it? It may cause increased asthma symptoms.

Some asthma meds don't work for some people and need to be changed until the right one is found.

I myself keep a diary of how I feel, triggers for the day, meds taken, weather that day, etc. My hormone changes affect my asthma. I also react to foods, which is not the norm for a lot of people. So I have kept a food diary until I could figure it out.

You really need to pay attention to your body and what it is telling you. Then take that information to the dr.

Sorry to hear of your struggles. I can relate to what you are going thru. Do you know your triggers? Do you have allergies and are you taking any meds for them?

NeilMed sinus rinse is awesome stuff. It will help clean your sinus passages and help with drainage. There is a condition called silent acid reflux, have you heard of it? It may cause increased asthma symptoms.

Some asthma meds don't work for some people and need to be changed until the right one is found.

I myself keep a diary of how I feel, triggers for the day, meds taken, weather that day, etc. My hormone changes affect my asthma. I also react to foods, which is not the norm for a lot of people. So I have kept a food diary until I could figure it out.

You really need to pay attention to your body and what it is telling you. Then take that information to the dr.

Hello Chickie, never thought of the humidity lvl. I live in Az. and its usually very dry. So do you think I should possibly get a humidifier? Thank you for your reply

Thanks for your Reply!

Report This| Share this:Asthma is out of controlHello Chickie, never thought of the humidity lvl. I live in Az. and its usually very dry. So do you think I should possibly get a humidifier? Thank you for your reply

Hello Debbie, I do know some of my triggers. Exertion (even something as simple as walking can trigger it sometimes,), dust (when living in Az., there is far too much of it), when there are clouds out, smog, grass, sometimes going from a sitting position to a lying position or vise versa, post nasal drip and cleaning chemicals and sometimes my Hydrocodone can cause breathing problems. Also I do have acid reflux but its controlled with meds.

A daily diary is a very good idea. I will have to start doing that and hopefully find out what else is causing this.

Also, I had no idea your hormones could cause problems. Im 46 yrs old and Im sure my hormones are going crazy right now.

Thank you so very much.

Thanks for your Reply!

Report This| Share this:Asthma is out of controlHello Debbie, I do know some of my triggers. Exertion (even something as simple as walking can trigger it sometimes,), dust (when living in Az., there is far too much of it), when there are clouds out, smog, grass, sometimes going from a sitting position to a lying position or vise versa, post nasal drip and cleaning chemicals and sometimes my Hydrocodone can cause breathing problems. Also I do have acid reflux but its controlled with meds.

A daily diary is a very good idea. I will have to start doing that and hopefully find out what else is causing this.

Also, I had no idea your hormones could cause problems. Im 46 yrs old and Im sure my hormones are going crazy right now.

The human lungs function best between 30 and 50% relative humidity, and I some parts of Arizona are below that most of the year. You might indeed do better sleeping with a humidifier at night. Make sure you clean it and let the parts dry out on a regular basis, so it doesn't get moldy.

For pollution, a HEPA filer in the house is beyond price, although if you have central air with a house filter, changing that filter and having your ducts cleaned can help too. Some people actually wear masks when outside to reduce exposure to triggers.

For exercise, a swimming pool is great IF you don't have trouble with the chlorine.

I have issues with a lot of medicines, so I've had to put a lot of thought into minimizing triggers.

And, yes, hormones. I'm somewhat younger than you, and I always seem to flare a few days before my period, then do better a few days after.

Thanks for your Reply!

Report This| Share this:Asthma is out of controlThe human lungs function best between 30 and 50% relative humidity, and I some parts of Arizona are below that most of the year. You might indeed do better sleeping with a humidifier at night. Make sure you clean it and let the parts dry out on a regular basis, so it doesn't get moldy.

For pollution, a HEPA filer in the house is beyond price, although if you have central air with a house filter, changing that filter and having your ducts cleaned can help too. Some people actually wear masks when outside to reduce exposure to triggers.

For exercise, a swimming pool is great IF you don't have trouble with the chlorine.

I have issues with a lot of medicines, so I've had to put a lot of thought into minimizing triggers.

And, yes, hormones. I'm somewhat younger than you, and I always seem to flare a few days before my period, then do better a few days after.

Hello Chickie, once I get this asthma to calm down, I can start going for walks again. In the summer we swim in our pool.

The cold weather seems to cause me more problems also.

The info. about the hormones is very interesting. I have never heard of that before. Its hard to tell when my hormones are messed up because I had an ablation done to stop my periods. I also have Bipolar, so any time Im having emotional probs its hard to tell if its the Bipolar, hormones, pms, lol, Im a wreck.

I have a question. Do you ever notice that when you start laughing really hard, that it too can cause breathing difficulties?

The info. about the hormones is very interesting. I have never heard of that before. Its hard to tell when my hormones are messed up because I had an ablation done to stop my periods. I also have Bipolar, so any time Im having emotional probs its hard to tell if its the Bipolar, hormones, pms, lol, Im a wreck.

I have a question. Do you ever notice that when you start laughing really hard, that it too can cause breathing difficulties?

My understanding is that laughing causes asthma symptoms due to the change in your breathing that occurs while laughing. Other breathing-pattern changes that can cause asthma symptoms are talking on the phone, and even eating.

Getting asthma symptoms while laughing always seemed to me to be a particularly cruel joke by Mother Nature. But you can prevent it to some degree by taking a couple of puffs of your fast-acting inhaler if you know you're going to be laughing a lot (such as, going to a comedy club).

To the original poster bpcookie: maybe you need an antibiotic to clear up an infection that's triggering your asthma. It's something to discuss with your doctor. I suggest this because I recently had a chest Xray where mild pneumonia was found -- I'd been coughing somewhat more and didn't realize that was the cause. A round of antibiotics and I was good to go. Just a thought, hope it helps. Judy

My understanding is that laughing causes asthma symptoms due to the change in your breathing that occurs while laughing. Other breathing-pattern changes that can cause asthma symptoms are talking on the phone, and even eating.

Getting asthma symptoms while laughing always seemed to me to be a particularly cruel joke by Mother Nature. But you can prevent it to some degree by taking a couple of puffs of your fast-acting inhaler if you know you're going to be laughing a lot (such as, going to a comedy club).

To the original poster bpcookie: maybe you need an antibiotic to clear up an infection that's triggering your asthma. It's something to discuss with your doctor. I suggest this because I recently had a chest Xray where mild pneumonia was found -- I'd been coughing somewhat more and didn't realize that was the cause. A round of antibiotics and I was good to go. Just a thought, hope it helps. Judy

Have you tried Advair? I was using a nebulizer every 4 hours until the pulmonologist put me on Advair. I feel like it saved my life. I use 1 puff of Advair 250/50 twice a day I rarely ever have breathing problems anymore. I started walking 1 hour everyday and the doc said my lungs are looking great.

Thanks for your Reply!

Report This| Share this:Asthma is out of controlHave you tried Advair? I was using a nebulizer every 4 hours until the pulmonologist put me on Advair. I feel like it saved my life. I use 1 puff of Advair 250/50 twice a day I rarely ever have breathing problems anymore. I started walking 1 hour everyday and the doc said my lungs are looking great.

In Feb.of 08 I had a very bad cold, prior was healthy, and now have severe asthma with chronic sinusitis. I missed 5 mos. of work that year. I have been on prednisone for almost 3 yrs non-stop. I take 5mg a day usually and up it to 10mg for a few days when I have a bad flare up. At this point I really can't get off the prednisone or my lung function goes to about 30%.The one thing that allowed me to get to a low dose of prednisone is the prescription Zyflo CR taken twice a day. It replaced Singular which was worthless. Ask your pulmonary doctor about that, it helped me a lot. The doctors say my allergy antibodies are high but am not allergic to anything. The Zyflo knocks them down. I also do advair twice a day. I now rarely use my nebulizer or inhaler now. I exercise regularly, just can't max out my lungs or I have a relapse.

Thanks for your Reply!

Report This| Share this:Asthma is out of controlIn Feb.of 08 I had a very bad cold, prior was healthy, and now have severe asthma with chronic sinusitis. I missed 5 mos. of work that year. I have been on prednisone for almost 3 yrs non-stop. I take 5mg a day usually and up it to 10mg for a few days when I have a bad flare up. At this point I really can't get off the prednisone or my lung function goes to about 30%.The one thing that allowed me to get to a low dose of prednisone is the prescription Zyflo CR taken twice a day. It replaced Singular which was worthless. Ask your pulmonary doctor about that, it helped me a lot. The doctors say my allergy antibodies are high but am not allergic to anything. The Zyflo knocks them down. I also do advair twice a day. I now rarely use my nebulizer or inhaler now. I exercise regularly, just can't max out my lungs or I have a relapse.

Well I have also been very ill since Christmas...my son's dog or his real Christmas tree had to have been the triggers...I am on Advair, Flovent and Ventolin after going to a specialized clinic out of Toronto Western Hospital...fantastic clinic had be do away with singulair and other meds...which has controlled things fantastically for almost 2 years...BUT after finishing my prednisone...I was still wheezing...my family doctor put me on a very strong antibiotic cause I had bronchitis...never even thought of that possibility ...just thought it was asthma

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Report This| Share this:Asthma is out of controlWell I have also been very ill since Christmas...my son's dog or his real Christmas tree had to have been the triggers...I am on Advair, Flovent and Ventolin after going to a specialized clinic out of Toronto Western Hospital...fantastic clinic had be do away with singulair and other meds...which has controlled things fantastically for almost 2 years...BUT after finishing my prednisone...I was still wheezing...my family doctor put me on a very strong antibiotic cause I had bronchitis...never even thought of that possibility ...just thought it was asthma

Dear BPCookie, I am so sorry you are having so much trouble with your asthma. I'm wondering if you might be having very bad allergy problems right now. You mentioned that the asthma is worse since the new year - I am assuming you mean January 2011? I live north of Houston, Texas, and we have many leaves on the ground. These dead leaves get wet and moldy. I can walk in my yard and can feel myself stopping up, even though my asthma is well controlled. But right now, I am having to take extra Allegra.It also might be worth it to ask your doctor about allergy shots. It takes about a year and consistency in taking them before you notice a difference, but it is well worth it.Best of luck!

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Report This| Share this:Asthma is out of controlDear BPCookie, I am so sorry you are having so much trouble with your asthma. I'm wondering if you might be having very bad allergy problems right now. You mentioned that the asthma is worse since the new year - I am assuming you mean January 2011? I live north of Houston, Texas, and we have many leaves on the ground. These dead leaves get wet and moldy. I can walk in my yard and can feel myself stopping up, even though my asthma is well controlled. But right now, I am having to take extra Allegra.It also might be worth it to ask your doctor about allergy shots. It takes about a year and consistency in taking them before you notice a difference, but it is well worth it.Best of luck!

Sorry to hear that you aren't feeling well. I know how frustrating it can be and have found this site to be very supportive. I have been battling severe asthma for over a year it can be very depressing. I hope you have supportive family members and friends who you can surround yourself with. The one thing I have noticed for me is stress and emotions and being tired. If I get exhausted I tend to have more attacks which is an interesting circle cause I am up at night with my asthma then am more tired.Also stress triggers mine too. Remember it may take awhile but they will eventually get it under control at least that is what I tell myself.I hope you feel better soon and can find some support on this site.

Sorry to hear that you aren't feeling well. I know how frustrating it can be and have found this site to be very supportive. I have been battling severe asthma for over a year it can be very depressing. I hope you have supportive family members and friends who you can surround yourself with. The one thing I have noticed for me is stress and emotions and being tired. If I get exhausted I tend to have more attacks which is an interesting circle cause I am up at night with my asthma then am more tired.Also stress triggers mine too. Remember it may take awhile but they will eventually get it under control at least that is what I tell myself.I hope you feel better soon and can find some support on this site.

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